Education

Head O’ Meadow students in Carol Howard’s first grade class recently studied the Olympics, and thanks to school security guard Mike Kaylor, the students were introduced to a piece of Olympic history.
When studying the Olympics, Ms Howard said the students wrote about what sport they would chose to practice, who they would practice with, and what healthy foods they would eat.
Student Rachael Albrecht said she wrote about snowboarding and would “eat a lot of good food” to stay healthy for it.to school security guard Mike Kaylor, the students were introduced to a piece of Olympic history. When studying the Olympics, Ms Howard said t...

Newtown Continuing Education announced it has limited openings available in the following classes. Contact Newtown Continuing Education at 203-426-1787 for further information or to express interest in a program.Further information is also available at newtowncontinuinged.org.Zumba — Burn up to 500 calories in one hour while shaking the body to rhythms of merengue, salsa, hip/hop and more. Zumba is for all fitness levels and no dance experience is required. Zumba is for all fitness levels. The eight class course will be offered on Mondays, starting March 10, from 6 pm to 7 pm for a $94 fee.Piloxing — Piloxing is a fitness program that blends the Pilates, boxing, and dance into a high-energy interval workout. In a 55-minute class, experience the power, speed, and agility of boxing; and muscle-sculpting and flexibility of Pilates. The eight class course is offered on Mondays, starting March 10, from 7:15 pm to 8:15 pm; $94...

The Newtown Parent Connection, Inc., in partnership with Brookfield CARES, announces the return of its popular, parent education day Parent Empowerment University (PEU). This year’s sessions will be offered Saturday, March 22, at Newtown Middle School. PEU is offered to parents and caregivers who wish to be proactive and learn positive parenting strengths for raising children of all ages. This year’s keynote speaker is Jane Nelsen, EdD, LMFT, noted author and accomplished educator in the field of Positive Discipline. Her topic is “How to Empower Your Children and Yourselves!” Among the guest speakers this year are Mary Ronan, Maggie Ronan Gavin and Charlie Manos; additional speakers and their topics will be announced.

Two Newtown High School students will have their ceramic pieces displayed during the Annual National K–12 Ceramic Exhibition, which will be held in Wisconsin March 19 to 22.
Hannah Godbout’s “Angler Fish” and Dawson Stout’s “Sea Tea” were both selected from submissions from around the country to be part of this year’s exhibit, which will be put on display at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee.
According to the National K–12 Ceramic Exhibition Foundation, the exhibit is the premier juried ceramic competition for kindergarten through grade 12 students in the United States and the exhibit takes place in a different city each year in conjunction with the annual conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts. More information is available at the exhibit’s website, k12clay.org/k12-ceramic-exhibition.

Newtown Middle School students have been rehearsing after school for the school’s upcoming musical production of "Grease: School Version." The school version is an abridged version with content suitable for younger audiences of the musical, which follows the story of teenagers in 1959 through romances and high school. Performances are scheduled for Friday and Saturday, March 14-15, at 7 pm, and Sunday, March 16, at 2 pm. Tickets will be $10 for adults and $8 for students and seniors. Newtown's senior citizens are invited to a special preview event on the afternoon of Thursday, March 13.

Newtown High School has slated three presentations for sophomores and their parents. The Tenth Grade Informational Program for sophomores and their parents is set to be offered at differing times on three dates. Topics to be covered include upcoming important dates, career center services, Naviance, standardized testing, and a to-do list for sophomores, according to the school. Each session will run for approximately one hour. One session is being offered in the morning, another in the mid afternoon, and the third in the evening.

On Saturday, March 22, Newtown Scholarship Association (NSA) and The Newtown Memorial Fund (NMF) will co-host The Betty Lou Osborne Memorial Scholarship Ball at The Waterview in Monroe. The evening’s theme is Hope Springs Eternal. Net proceeds from the ball will help NSA and NMF advance their shared mission to provide need-based college scholarships to young people from Newtown. The ball is named in memory of Betty Lou Osborne, who served on NSA’s board for almost 40 years. Mrs Osborne was steadfast in her belief that all high school graduates from Newtown deserve the chance to attend college, regardless of their financial circumstances.

The Learning Experience (TLE), an early learning academy for children 6 weeks to 6 years old, announced that its TLE Newtown Center is the winner of its annual Outstanding Achievement in Community Service Award.
Danielle Van Riper, TLE Newtown franchise owner, was honored during TLE’s annual convention January 23 to 27, for her wide-ranging philanthropic events to benefit local community and charitable organizations.

Newtown Middle School’s literary magazine, Opus Optima, has been selected by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) for the rank of “Highest Award” in the 2013 NCTE Program to Recognize Excellence in Student Literary Magazines.The 2013 edition of Opus Optima is the first edition of the publication to earn the award since its 1996 edition.“This is just such a wonderful award,” said NMS art teacher Claudia Mitchell.Ms Mitchell, art teachers Arlene Spoonfeather and Ellen Diker, language arts teacher Abigail Olsen, and reading and writing teacher Karen Blasko recently gathered to discuss the award and the 2013 edition of Opus Optima. Ms Olsen received the announcement about the award from the NCTE. According to the announcement, “NCTE’s Program to Recognize Excellence in Student Literary Magazines (PRESLM) cites students, teachers, and schools for producing excellent literary magazines.

Newtown High School will welcome more than 30 winter guards this Saturday, March 1, for what promises to be the largest NHS Winter Guard Extravaganza Home Show Newtown has sponsored in recent memory.
The Winter Extravaganza will kick off at 3 pm with a performance of the NHS Winter Percussion, followed by some of the best color guards in the tri-state and New England, including Alter Ego and the University of Connecticut.
The three Newtown divisions — Juniors, JV, and Varsity — will close the show, during which seniors Hannah Godbout and Paige Thanasoulis will be recognized as Saturday will mark their final home dhow at NHS.